Polk Museum of Art to Exhibit Works by Renowned Cuban-American Painter Humberto Calzada

Tuesday, December 21, 2010  • News

Polk Museum of Art will open the one-man exhibition “Retrospect & Restoration: Paintings by Humberto Calzada” to the public on Saturday, January 15. The exhibition will remain on display through March 26, 2011.

Humberto Calzada is a leading figure from the first generation of exiled artists to have developed outside of Cuba. He introduces historically charged architectural imagery into a modern pictorial tradition. His paintings of architectural scenes are based on observations and memories of Cuba. He combines the scientific approach of Renaissance perspective with the experience of 20th century abstraction, nostalgic sentimentality, and the Caribbean light.

Calzada was born in Cuba in 1944 and has lived in the United States since 1960. In 1966, he received a degree in industrial engineering, followed in 1968 by an MBA in finance, from the University of Miami. He began painting in 1972, and since 1976 has dedicated his time exclusively to painting. His work has been said to carry on classical Latin American artistic traditions: dreamlike realism, tension created by the contrast between calm and conflict, and the use of timeless symbols such as water as a universal language.

Throughout his career, he has applied these themes using architectural imagery. His paintings depict traditional Cuban structures that he recalls from his youth, but in an idealized state. Although his work acknowledges that the buildings — and by extension, Cuba — are crumbling or broken, his paintings show them restored to pristine condition.

An opening reception and celebration on Friday, January 14, will begin with a 6 p.m. lecture by Calzada in the auditorium. At 7 p.m., light hors d’oeuvres will be served and a cash bar will open. The reception is free for Museum members and $10 for guests.

The exhibition is sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Andy Hernandez, Dr. and Mrs. Emilio Montero, and Annual Exhibition Fund sponsors.